You’ve been working in the gym to slim your waistline, but you may still have some excess fat sitting on the sides of your torso. We endearingly refer to them as “love handles” or the “muffin top,” but in actuality they can be a huge pain to tone and sculpt. Celebrity trainer Kira Stokes shares her favorite exercises for cross-training your core to get rid of the extra padding.

Here are seven exercises to lose your love handles:

Oblique press and reach (3 sets of 12-15 reps on each side) -- kneel on one knee with a 90 degree angle, hold a weight in same hand as the knee that is up, and reach, extending the arm up and bend to the side.

Side plank crunch (3 sets of 10-12 reps on each side) -- lay on elbow in side plank and pull your inside knee to your chest and crunch your opposite elbow toward it.

Plank up-downs (8 reps per side for 30-45 seconds) -- get into straight-arm plank position and lower down to forearm and move back up using the same arm to start, then repeat for the other arm. Also known as commandos.

Around the world obliques (3 sets of 8-10 reps on each side) -- stand with legs wider than shoulder-width apart with a light weight in your hands above your head, and bend from the hips to reach far to the right until you need to rotate and reach toward the floor. Then, return to starting position and repeat.

Pass the ball (30-45 seconds) -- perform bicycle crunches with a medicine ball, passing it underneath your knee when pulling it to your chest and rotate between hands.

Knee drop (3 sets of 8-10 reps on each side) -- lie flat on the ground with ball between legs, pulled into 90 degree angle above you. Drop knees to each side, keeping abs pulled tight, and return to starting position and repeat for other side.

Remember, “Your core works as one complete unit,” says Stokes. You need to engage your obliques with moves that also compliment your upper and lower abs to effectively slim your entire middle section. Learn more about each exercise move on youbeauty.com.

Are you interested in undergoing liposuction or a tummy tuck procedure to effectively get rid of excess fat in your middle? Request a consultation with Monarch Plastic Surgery, or call us today at (913) 663-3838 for our Leawood and Lansing offices, or at (816) 436-3262 for our North Kansas City location to learn more about your options for cosmetic surgery.